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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cap — of ice
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. stock — goods
  5. rash — hasty
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. content — happy
  8. cap — a lid
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. stock — shares
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. rash — a series
  15. sharp — clever
  16. content — the amount
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. cap — a hat
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. content — videos and posts

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com